Archive for August, 2012

“’Personhood’ is at the very heart of the 21st Century Civil Rights Movement. My Uncle Martin once said that to deny a person is “to say that he has no right to existence.” Whether it is Dred Scott, Sojourner Truth, 1968 Sanitation Workers, or a baby viewed in a 3D Ultrasound, from conception until natural birth, a person is a human being, entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This right to personhood is a civil right. So, this book is an essential tool for these times.”

I do not ever watch horror stories. Ever. Yet, I find myself in the midst of a real horror story that happened right here in Georgia, at an abortion center on Powers Ferry Road. And unlike the movies where the monster is stopped from harming others, this monster is still performing abortions and billing taxpayers for it!

It was 10:00 a.m., October 7, 2009 when this young woman sought an abortion. She was the last patient of the day. Upon entering the center she paid $250 in cash and gave them her Medicaid card, understanding Medicaid was to be billed the remaining $200.00 for the $450.00 abortion. Shortly thereafter she was given a sonogram and 5 pills, one of which was an antibiotic and the rest she was told was for pain. After drawing blood another technician gave her another pill that she was told to place in her vagina. She was led to a room where other patients were to await her turn to go into the procedure room. It was here that she encountered a sixteen year old that was drooling (because of the medication she had been given) and crying because she needed help to the bathroom. As the young woman helped her to the bathroom, the teen explained she was back for a second procedure because when she got home the night before she realized the baby was still inside her.

Despite having had a narcotic administered, the patients were told to walk downstairs (unescorted by clinic staff) and change into a gown. Periodically center staff came to “check” on them to see if the narcotic had taken effect. When a Latina patient began acting drunk she was taken to another room where the procedure was performed. But the drugs were not having the desired effect on the young woman, so she was led, finally, to the procedure room where an Asian man inserted an IV into her hand. The drugs, she said, burned as they entered her body and the last thing she remembered was screaming. Twenty four hours later, . . .

I was interviewed last week for a new documentary, The Voice of John, which is going to be released on November 4, 2012. This documentary is a great new addition to the arsenal of films that help educate the public about the truth of abortion and the value of all human life.

The producer, Donald Galade, worked diligently to complete the trailer and is working just as hard to promote the film. Unlike most major film productions which have the financial resources to advertise their films, independent film makers rely on limited advertising and word of mouth.

Kudos to Director Christopher Peiser. His camera work and editing really captures the viewers’ interest and draws them in.

As an African American, as a woman, as a Christian, and as human being, I’ve been asking myself, “Why did no many people vote for President Obama in 2008 – why????”

Why did over 50% of Catholics…

Why did over 90% of African Americans…

Why did so many Christians…

Why did so many women…

Vote for the most abortion supporting, homosexual marriage supporting, trash the economy supporting President in American History??????

Why did President Obama win the women’s vote in 2008?

President Obama appeals to women’s need for independence and control over their bodies and their reproductive freedom. This desire for women’s rights is not a bad desire. But women still believe that abortion and contraceptives are health care. They are not! Abortion kills babies and even women.

And the population that is harmed the most by abortion is the Black women. Case in point is Tonya Reaves who died on July 20, 2012 after having a botched abortion at a Planned Parenthood killing center in Chicago, Illinois.

Why a woman would vote for a candidate who promises health benefits and delivers death is beyond me – except for the fact that we know that people are being deceived. The lie is that abortion and contraceptives are health care. The truth is that health care prevents sickness and cures disease. A baby is not a sickness, a pregnancy is not a disease. But the so called cure of abortion and contraceptives kill babies and harm women.

People do not have all of the facts. There are harmful side effects from using contraceptives and getting abortions; increased risks of breast cancer, cervical cancer, strokes, heart attacks, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, and any more.

Women are making important decisions regarding their bodies without having all the necessary information. Abortion and contraception (surgery and drugs) hurt women. They are NOT healthcare.

All too often all across the country, women are being transported to hospitals after botched abortions. You might ask, “why haven’t I heard about this?” The mainstream media doesn’t want to report this information. If you don’t read pro-life blogs regularly, I’m not surprised that you haven’t heard these vital facts.

And forget about the abortion industry telling you the truth. They haven’t done that ever. Just recently I heard of a young lady who was told by an abortion facility that she wasn’t pregnant with a baby but that all it was was “a sac filled with fluid and tissue.”

Women think that President Obama is a friend to women. He is not. He is not pro-life. Abortion is not healthcare. Abortion kills women and abortion kills babies, real human persons in their earliest stages of their development but human persons just the same.

The National Pro-Life Religious Council, in cooperation with Beeson Divinity School, would like to invite you to join them Tuesday, September 11, 2012 for a unique pro-life pastoral-theological conference at Hodges Chapel. The conference will follow through on the claims of The Manhattan Declaration and focus on ways in which the church can become a more faithful witness for life. Speakers will be featured from the various organizations which make up the National Pro-Life Council. NPRC is honored to have Dr. Timothy George, the Dean of Beeson Divinity School, and Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director for Priests for Life and Gospel of Life Ministries, as the featured speakers for this event. Registration is $25. For more information you may contact Lorrie Beth Milton (205.726.2731).

Also speaking at the conference will be Georgette Forney, Presiden, Anglicans for Life

Students for Life went undercover while Black prolife leaders led by Pastor John Peyton of Reconciliation Church prayed.

Pastor John Peyton together with myself organized a group of black pro-life activists and and attended the ‘We Are Women’ rally in Washington, DC this last Saturday, August 18. Armed with signs and t-shirts depicting Tonya Reaves, the young lady who dies after having an abortion at a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Chicago, and the abortionist who called the black babies that he murders as, those “ungly black babies.” They dialogued with raly attendees, were called names like the “N” word, and were even asked to leave. But they prayed, informed and were tough life warriors. See pictures at Priests for Life’s Frontlines.

Students for Life of America’s very own Sarah Maher & Beth O’Malley visited the We Are Women Rally in Washington, DC on Saturday, August 18th and handed out postcards exposing Planned Parenthood. To read what they had to say about the event, click HERE

Three Northeast Ohio pastors have come together to urge pastors in the African-American church to use their pulpits to address issues affecting the black community.

They’re starting with abortion.

“I am not ashamed to say I am a black pro-life pastor and that the African-American church is guilty of not taking the lead on issues like abortion,” said the Rev. Walter Moss of Foursquare Church in Canton. “As pastors, we need to be able to come together and have a civil conversation about how abortion is affecting us and we need to be equipped with the information to help our people deal with it.”

On Thursday, Moss joined with the Rev. Dennis Butts of the House of the Lord in Akron and the Rev. Roscoe Heath of New Praise Ministries in Cleveland to sponsor a forum on abortion.

The Choose Life Conference, called What If You Were Chosen to Be Aborted?, was hosted by the Rev. Roderick Pounds at Second Baptist Church in Akron. It attracted more than 50 people, mostly pastors and church leaders, and featured talks by Star Parker and the Rev. Stephen Broden.

Broden, senior pastor at Fair Park Bible Fellowship in Dallas, has been a leader in the black anti-abortion movement for decades. He reminded pastors that it is their responsibility to represent the Christian worldview on abortion.

“How is it that we are murdering our kids at an alarming rate and why does it seem that no one is saying anything about it? Pastors, there is a judgment that awaits us for our silence,” Broden said.

“Pastors play a strategic role in turning this around. We are witnessing a war on black babies, a war on black women and a war on black families . . .

Staten Island, NY – Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today issued the following statement on the passing of Joan Appleton, a former abortion facility nurse who went on to found and lead the Society of Centurions of America, a group that provides counseling and financial aid to those who leave work in the abortion industry.

“I was very sad to hear that Joan had died. I learned a lot from her over the years about the corruption in the abortion industry and the needs of former abortion providers like herself.

“Together with her and Pro-Life Action Ministries, I have had the joy of ministering to those who have left the abortion industry. In Joan’s memory, we at Priests for Life will redouble our efforts to expand the Society of Centurions, ministering to former abortionists and their staff, and inviting those still in the industry to repentance and healing.”

Priests for Life is the nation’s largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.

Todd Akin’s admittedly unclear words in his defense for no exceptions for abortion even in the case of rape or incest have stirred up such a controversy that it has sent many running for cover. The Truth is that Mr. Akin believes in the sanctity of life and agrees with the GOP’s own platform on life issues. So why is everyone all up in arms about his misspoken words?

It seems to me that what’s missing here is courage. It seems that those who are running for cover are more interested in their political careers than they are about standing up for their principles. If you are pro-life and believe that a human life (person) begins at conception then you should not be backing away from Todd Akin. He apologized for his poor choice of words. Life is life regardless of how conceived. Life should be protected, ALL LIFE. And ALL WOMEN should be honored and respected.

Being worried about winning or losing an election because people don’t like to hear the truth shows a poor lack of judgment. Speak the truth and God will bless you for it. As He said himself,

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

Are we really more interested in winning a presidency than we are in winning heaven?

My good friend Ryan Bomberger, born as a result of rape, wrote a wonderful blog about his thoughts on this whole Akin situation. He points out, and rightly so, that “Despite the media’s predictable liberal advocacy of abortion (in all cases), what’s missing is the intriguing real outcome of the horrific act of rape and pregnancy that may result. Why do 50% of women who’ve been so violated choose to carry to term? Why do nearly 6% place their child (yes, not the “rapists’ child”) for adoption? Why do many choose to parent?

This is something worth better understanding from those who’ve experienced this trauma. As always, mainstream media treats people groups as monolithic without ever bothering to discover what people actually believe or do. They instinctively and gleefully paint pro-life support of children born of rape as “extreme” thereby attempting to silence any discussion.”

Many claim that the mother should not have to be reminded of the rape for the next nine months but let me tell you as someone who has known violence, a rape, or any act of violence, is not something that a woman forgets, pregnancy or not. And the memory is there for far more than nine months. And to suggest that by perpetrating another act of violence upon her will help her to forget the first violent act is ludicrous. Rape and abortion are both violent acts. A woman who gets pregnant as a result of rape is not going to forget that rape by having another violent act committed to her by aborting her child. In fact, abortion itself has been linked to causing many problems. If you try to solve a rape with an abortion what you would have is a woman who has to deal with the rape and the effects of the abortion.

There are many in America who would not vote for Todd Akin because of what he said but I would imagine that they were not going to vote for him anyway because of his stance on life issues. If you are pro-life then there is no reason why you should be calling for him to drop out of the race. In fact, you should be supporting him all the more for being courageous and speaking the truth. No abortion, no exceptions.

I posted a video on my blog the other day about a young woman who spoke the truth about life issues at a community meeting and how we should vote for God. Some attacked her for her views but she stood her ground. She stood for what she believed and didn’t back down just because some may have seen her view as extreme.

The movie COOURAGEOUS was released a year ago and it dealt with fatherhood. It spoke to the courage it takes to do the right thing to be a good father. At the end of the movie the main character speaks at a church talking about the courage it takes to be a father. In it he says, “Where are you men of courage?” I say to you today, “Where are you men of courage?” The unborn need courageous men to stand up for them and be their voices. Todd Akin is but one voice and good for him for not allowing others to silence his voice. I will be a voice for the unborn who cannot speak for themselves. WILL YOU?

STATEN ISLAND, NY – Sunday, Sept. 9 is the last of three “Voter Registration Sundays” organized and promoted by Priests for Life.

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, hopes all people of faith will take part by helping to register as many Americans as possible to vote in the fast-approaching elections.

“Assisting people to register to vote is one of the best ways to exercise our citizenship,” said Fr. Pavone.

“Non-partisan voter registration is both legal and appropriate for Churches to do, because it is a way to assist members of the congregation to exercise their faith in day-to-day life, and to take advantage of the freedom God gives us in this country.”

Visitors to www.priestsforlife.org/vote will find all the information and materials they will need to conduct a successful registration drive. Priests for Life has spearheaded this effort by forming the “Vote Pro-life Coalition,” in which dozens of national organizations pursue the same goals related to non-partisan political involvement.

“Voter registration drives fall within the activities that are permitted to tax-exempt organizations and churches,” said Father Pavone. “The IRS is not standing in our way, so there is no reason that Churches and non-profits shouldn’t be working hard to ensure a high voter turnout in November.”

“Let’s also keep in mind that voting actually starts in September, given the early voting that many states provide. So there’s no time to waste.”

Priests for Life is the nation’s largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.